used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
quickly and without warning
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
AlexandernounUS /ˌæləɡˈzændər/
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
blindedadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪd/
deprived of sight
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
breathlessadjectiveUS /ˈbreθləs/
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
BurkenounUS /bɜːrk/
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
CIPHERnounUS /ˈsaɪ.fər/
A secret or disguised way of writing; a code used to conceal ancient secrets.
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
clickverbUS /klɪk/
move or strike with a noise
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
comparativeadjectiveUS /kəmˈperətɪv/
relating to or based on or involving comparison
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
CoopernounUS /ˈkuːpər/
United States industrialist who built the first American locomotive; founded Cooper Union in New York City to offer free courses in the arts and sciences (1791-1883)
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
dimnessnoun
the state of being poorly illuminated
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
door-knob
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
opinion or judgment
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
glarenounUS /ɡler/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
gluedadjectiveUS /ɡluːd/
affixed or as if affixed with glue or paste
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Manifestly he was ignorant of our presence.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading Manifestly he was ignorant of our presence.
inchesnounUS /ˈɪntʃəz/
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
immediately past
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
latchverbUS /lætʃ/
fasten with a latch
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
ManifestlyadverbUS /ˈmænəfestli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Manifestly he was ignorant of our presence.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Manifestly he was ignorant of our presence.
releasedverbUS /riˈliːst/
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
revealverbUS /rɪˈviːl/
make visible
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
revolvingverbUS /riˈvɑːlvɪŋ/
-ing form of “revolve” — turn on or around an axis or a center
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
rigidadjectiveUS /ˈrɪdʒəd/
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the door opened a few inches, to reveal the slender figure of Alexander Burke.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Neither I nor Miss Cooper stirred, and Burke was for the time being blinded by having come so abruptly from the snow glare into the comparative dimness of the hall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At last a faint click announced that the latch was released.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE CIPHER We sat rigid and breathless, with our eyes glued to the slowly revolving door-knob.
